The 20 best places to travel in 2026

Hebrides, Scotland

Why go: A whisky boom, ancient stone circles, white-sand beaches and community warmth

Scattered along Scotland’s wild Atlantic coast, the Hebridean islands have long lured travellers with their heart-quickening sacred sites, castaway beaches and tight-knit communities. And this year, many have much more to brag about.  

At the northern tip of the Outer Hebrides, Lewis is unveiling a long-awaited visitor centre for the Calanais Standing Stones, the mystical cruciform-shaped stone circle that predates Stonehenge. For the first time, Historic Environment Scotland will also introduce a visitor fee, helping safeguard 5,000 years of Neolithic history. 

Far to the south, landing at Barra Airport’s unusual tidal beach runway still feels like stepping back in time. The island of chalky bays and medieval Kisimul Castle is gaining its first whisky distillery, putting the tiny village of Borve on the global spirits map. Whisky is already in the DNA of Islay in the Southern Hebrides, and demand for heavily peated single-malt Scotch continues to reshape the island. In whisky terms, it’s the last square on the Monopoly board – and 2026 will see the arrival of two new distilleries, taking the island’s total to 14.

First up is Laggan Bay Distillery from the brains behind other established Scottish spirit brands, including Rosebank, Glengoyne and Edinburgh Gin. Later in the year, visitors will be able to explore Portintruan Distillery, located outside Port Ellen where French luxury empire LVMH have opened the island’s first immersive, whisky-themed hotel, Ardbeg House. 

There’s a sense that the whole island has been created as a perfect, almost smug, example of heartwarming Scottish hospitality. Tempted to visit? Book ahead for Fèis Ìle, Islay’s annual whisky festival, in May. – Mike MacEacheran

Hirotaka Ozawa

Ishikawa, Japan

Why go: Traditional crafts and award-winning sake

On New Year’s Day 2024, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake devastated Japan’s remote Noto peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. Two years on, local leaders are urging visitors to return to help support the area’s renewal.

In the prefecture’s south, the city of Kanazawa is just a bullet train ride from Tokyo and is home to Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s most famous gardens, as well as a thriving world of traditional crafts. Travellers can step inside gold-leaf workshops and try their hand at making their own silk-dyed Kaga Yuzen pieces. But it’s further north, in quake-hit Noto, where visitors can make the greatest difference. Here, “farmhouse inns” invite guests to join seasonal activities like rice planting, with proceeds helping to sustain families and the centuries-old terraced rice paddies of Shiroyone Senmaida. 

The Noto peninsula is renowned across Japan for its seafood, centuries-old Wajima-nuri lacquerware and award-winning sake crafted by legendary Noto toji (master brewers). Many local breweries are once again operational, thanks to efforts like the Don’t Stop the Noto Sake project, which funnels revenue back to earthquake-damaged breweries.